Chapter 396
The Black Knight raised his head to look up at the sky.
A bright blue sky without a single cloud. Yet, through the Black Knight’s already dimmed eyes, it appeared as a dark and murky gray.
“It’s dark.”
This thought made the Black Knight feel strange. Dark? What could darkness possibly mean?
He had been the Black Knight from the beginning. A being born in darkness knows nothing of what darkness means.
“But then, what is this?”
Sunlight, the laughter of a child, a hand gently patting his head…
A flood of unfamiliar words and unknown images flashed through his mind, leaving him bewildered.
If not for the call of his subordinate in the next moment, the Black Knight would have stood there for a long time.
“My Lord.”
“Please…”
Encased in jet-black armor, a faint green light flickered between the helmet covering his entire head.
Two Death Knights, dismounted from their skeletal horses, knelt on one knee and spoke in low, emotionless voices.
“Please… give your orders.”
Ah.
The Black Knight remembered something he had momentarily forgotten. It was the command given to him by the one he served.
“Go. March forth in all directions and crush everything. Kill them all. Offer me a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.”
The command of the one he served was absolute. The Black Knight, bound even to his soul, followed the order faithfully.
He appointed the ten Death Knights under his command as the commanders of five legions, making himself the vanguard of one legion, leading them here.
“But why here, of all places?”
The Black Knight looked toward a small city in the distance.
A familiar place. A place where he had suddenly recalled the unfamiliar word “child” and where he had sensed an enormous, mysterious power.
But as for why he came here, the Black Knight didn’t know.
“My Lord?”
“My Lord?”
Looking down at his subordinates, the Black Knight finally gave the command.
“Advance.”
“We accept the order.”
The two Death Knights, having awaited this moment, mounted their skeletal horses and raised their massive spears high.
A black aura surged from the spear tips, and the densely packed monsters filling the vast plain let out horrifying cries.
“Kiik! Kiiiik!”
“Graaaaargh!”
There were skeletons, still clinging to scraps of flesh, newly risen from the dead; goblins, orcs, trolls, and ogres—all kinds of monsters, both large and small.
Their numbers easily reached the tens of thousands, and overhead, gargoyles and wyverns cast a massive shadow over the land.
“Gather.”
“Prepare.”
At the command, two hundred Dullahans lined up in formation. Holding their severed heads in one hand and weapons in the other, they mounted their skeletal beasts, their empty eyes gleaming ominously.
“Prepare to charge.”
The two Death Knights formed the spearhead of the army. Their towering spears slowly pointed toward the city.
A human city. But soon, it would become a city of the undead, a land of death.
“Public Security Forces, assemble!”
“Shit! It’s monsters! They’ve appeared!”
“Sound the alarm and report to the command center immediately!”
The wind carried the human shouts and the wailing of the alarm across the plain.
But the order had already been given. Nothing could stop the advancing undead army now.
Thud, thud, thud.
The army moved in perfect, orderly lines.
At the forefront were the Death Knights and Dullahans, with fast-moving Lycanthropes leading the charge. Behind them, ogres, trolls, and golems formed a massive wall, advancing slowly.
Monsters wielding bows and magic had already taken their positions in the rear.
This discipline and formation, uncharacteristic of typical monsters, had been devised by none other than the Black Knight.
“Where did I learn all this?”
Shoving the rising questions to the back of his mind, the Black Knight opened his mouth.
“Follow.”
In response to their master’s will, the skeletal horse beneath him began to move.
Clop, clop.
The horse’s bony hooves crushed the tender sprouts of the field.
The vast undead army followed its commander, steadily advancing.
The ground trembled with their overwhelming march, and what began as a slow-moving tide soon became a tidal wave of bones sweeping across the plain.
“Graaaaargh!”
Tens of thousands of monsters roared as they charged toward the city. At the forefront, like a streak of black lightning, was the Black Knight.
“That one! He’s the leader!”
“Long-range units, prepare!”
“Tanks, hold your ground! Engage the enemy with the Hunter battalion!”
Tanks, battalions, Hunters.
The Black Knight could hear the human shouts clearly—and, surprisingly, he understood them perfectly.
He even knew what commands would follow.
“Commence focused fire!”
Tat-tat-tat-tat!
Boom-boom-boom!
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
A dazzling display of flames, ice, and light erupted from the city.
Some arced through the air, while others shot straight toward the Black Knight and the undead army trailing behind him.
“Ah…”
Even in this ash-gray world, the light they emitted was captivating and familiar. The Black Knight felt a strange unease as he reached out his hand.
*Srrring.*
The greatsword strapped to his back was drawn.
Before the magic, arrows, or projectiles could reach him, the black blade cut through the air.
*Boom!*
A storm of magical wind erupted. The space itself was cleaved apart. Magic imbued with brilliant mana fizzled out like candle flames, and arrows shattered into pieces.
The sight of light being swallowed by darkness was witnessed by everyone in the city.
Min-woo Choi and Xiao Shen had the same thought flash through their minds.
“This is…”
“We can’t stop it.”
It was a realization close to certainty. And in the next moment, a black flash surged through the air, crossing the space between them and the Hunters.
*Boom!*
A deafening roar echoed as if the sky itself had been split.
Dozens of tower shields were smashed apart, and a shower of blood erupted. With a single swing of his sword, the Black Knight cut down three A-rank Hunters and twenty B-rank Hunters.
The Black Knight gazed coldly at the frozen humans with his glowing red eyes.
From beneath the deeply pressed helmet, a chilling voice of the dead echoed.
“Axar Garosh.”
“Kill them all.”
These were the last words spoken in the language of the demonic realm, heard by those who had perished here the previous day.
And then, the Black Knight issued the command to the army following him.
“Carry out the order.”
“We accept the order.”
The two Death Knights standing beside the Black Knight, along with a hundred Dullahans, charged forward like a sharp spear, piercing through the wall of humans.
*Crunch!*
—
“A surprise attack?”
A series of emergency reports came in from all fronts. Wei Feng-hu shouted, demanding an explanation, but all that came back was the news that all communication with the frontlines had been completely severed.
“Completely severed? What do you mean? Even last night, the connection was unstable, but at least we had something!” Wei Feng-hu shouted.
The communication officer, sweating profusely, stammered as he responded.
“Th-the interference has grown much stronger for some unknown reason. The emergency report we just received… it’s from 30 minutes ago.”
“What?! Thirty minutes?”
If that was true, it meant the attack had already started while the meeting was still ongoing.
And considering the disruption caused by the interference, the report might not have arrived on time, meaning it could have been as much as an hour ago.
Magic Johnson’s face hardened as he muttered to himself.
“This doesn’t make sense. Just before I left the city, the interference wasn’t this severe…”
Suddenly, Magic Johnson recalled something he had noticed before leaving.
“That Arch Lich… His power seemed to be dwindling slightly. Especially since last night, the interference had significantly decreased, right?”
He had been wrong.
The Arch Lich’s power hadn’t been weakening. It had only been made to appear that way.
The Lich had subtly and gradually reduced the intensity of the interference, giving the illusion that its power had diminished. But in reality, it was all part of an elaborate trap, meant to lull them into a false sense of security.
“This is…”
It was an absolutely thorough trap.
They had no idea how the Arch Lich knew about the absence of the S-rank Hunters. But the important thing was that the monster had seized that brief window of opportunity to launch the undead army’s advance.
Thinking about the slaughter happening at all the frontlines, reminiscent of the horrific massacre they had witnessed the day before, a sickening feeling churned in Jin Tae-kyung’s stomach.
Jin Tae-kyung grabbed Magic Johnson by the collar and shouted, “Teleport us!”
“What?!” Magic Johnson responded, surprised.
“Teleport us! Now!” Jin Tae-kyung demanded.
Jin Tae-kyung expected Magic Johnson to immediately cast the teleportation spell. However, Magic Johnson shook his head.
“Take the jet, Jin,” Magic Johnson said, seemingly ignoring his urgency.
“What? A jet? That’s too slow! It’ll be too late!” Jin Tae-kyung shouted, frustration rising.
“It’s not possible right now.”
“What do you mean? You know the exact coordinates of the hospital roof where we were earlier!”
Magic Johnson shook his head.
“The coordinates aren’t the issue. If I try to teleport now… we could both end up dead.”
Jin Tae-kyung had momentarily forgotten in his panic. The Arch Lich’s magical interference. The one who set up this entire trap wasn’t going to kindly allow them to teleport into the battlefield so easily.
Magic Johnson spoke again, his voice calm but grim.
“Ten minutes. Maybe twenty at most. Take the jet, Jin.”
“…Many people will die in that time.”
“Yeah. But if you die trying to teleport, even more will.”
An S-rank Hunter was a strategic weapon. Even if they arrived late, their presence alone could turn the tide of battle and save lives. But if something went wrong with the teleportation, they could lose not just Jin but also any chance of getting reinforcements to the front.
Magic Johnson was pointing out the harsh reality.
“Bravery without caution is just foolishness.”
“The jet will be ready for takeoff soon. There’s no time to waste.”
Through the bulletproof windows of the conference room, they could see the pilots boarding the jets across the tarmac.
Other S-rank Hunters were already making their way toward the aircraft, their backs disappearing into the distance.
Jin Tae-kyung stared in silence for a moment, watching them. Then, suddenly, he spoke up.
“You said it was possible, didn’t you?”
“What?”
“The hologram we saw earlier. You teleported missiles using it, didn’t you?”
Magic Johnson’s eyes widened in realization.
“Jin, you can’t possibly be thinking—”
“You don’t need to risk yourself, Johnson. I can do it alone.”
“For God’s sake, are you out of your mind?! I just told you it’s a bad idea!”
“I understand the risks perfectly. I’m ready for them.”
Magic Johnson’s lips twitched as if he wanted to say something more, but instead, he slammed his fist down on the table with a loud bang. The heavy wooden surface cracked under the force of his blow.
“Damn it! Damn this whole situation!”
He muttered curses under his breath, unable to contain his frustration. Jin Tae-kyung chuckled softly at the sight.
He already knew what that reaction meant.
“I’ll take that as a yes?”
“Yeah, you cocky little brat.”
Magic Johnson glared at him with bloodshot eyes, the atmosphere thick with anger and sadness.
“Listen, Jin. I…”
“I know. You’ve got people to protect too. I’m sorry for putting you in this position.”
“…Damn it all. You want to go to the hospital rooftop, right?”
“Yes, that’ll be enough.”
*Ssssshhh.*
Magic Johnson placed a thick hand on Jin Tae-kyung’s chest, his expression grim.
Unlike before, he took his time, cautiously gathering his mana. Slowly, a warm energy enveloped Jin Tae-kyung’s entire body, as if taking extra care.
“Your chances of survival are ten percent. There’s a ninety percent chance you’ll die.”
Ten percent…
Jin Tae-kyung raised his head to look out the window at the sky.
The cloudless, blue expanse stretched above them. Somewhere out there, beyond that distant sky, was the world of Murim. Were they waiting for him there?
At that thought, his lips curled into a smile.
“That’s fine. Ten percent is good enough.”
“What?”
A brilliant light swirled around him. Jin Tae-kyung felt warmth spreading throughout his body as he spoke one last time.
“It’s a thousand times better than my odds of crossing dimensions.”
“…!”
By now, Magic Johnson’s face was probably twisted into some kind of expression, but Jin Tae-kyung could no longer see it. The blinding radiance in his vision, accompanied by the harsh, distorting pull of space, had swallowed him up.
*Whoooosh!*
(TL Note: Please dont let anything happen to Chief Min-woo!)
